


eleventh time's the charm

by aserenitatum



Series: Staubrey Week 2019 [3]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-15 21:38:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18081368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aserenitatum/pseuds/aserenitatum
Summary: Aubrey flits around her mother's grocery cart, happily skipping along before bumping straight into Stacie, who comes rounding the corner of the aisle looking for her mother and clutching a huge box of Froot Loops to her chest with a hopeful smile on her face — a smile that is immediately replaced by a frown as they both crash to the floor.or, the one where Stacie Conrad and Aubrey Posen first meet when they’re 4 years old





	eleventh time's the charm

**Author's Note:**

> enjoy!

4.

 

Karen Conrad and Diane Posen literally bump into each other at the supermarket in the town they grew up, and as both women look up and recognise each other, they strike up an easy conversation. 

Aubrey is small for her age, and her mother has her in the child seat of the grocery cart, and when the young girl notices her mother has gotten distracted and isn’t paying attention to her anymore, she nudges the older woman to let her down. 

Once she’s let down, she flits around the cart, skips happily before bumping straight into Stacie, who comes rounding the corner of the aisle clutching a huge box of Froot Loops to her chest with a hopeful look on her face. 

A look that is immediately replaced by a frown as Aubrey yells “Hey!” at her with a frown on _her_ face. 

That gets the attention of the two adults, who laugh at the kids who seem to have bumped into each other in the same way they had, and introduce the two kids to each other. 

Diane makes them shake hands — “that’s the proper way to introduce yourself,” she says — and they both do so with clear disdain on their faces. The older women laugh it up and continue chatting to each other, until moments later when Stacie has a handful of Aubrey’s hair in her tiny fist and Aubrey is tightly pinching Stacie’s ear. 

“Hey hey hey, stop it!” Karen commands and the two kids immediately separate and go to their respective parent. 

“I think it’s best we split up, lest they make a total mess here,” Diane jokes, her hand falling affectionately to the top of Aubrey’s head, where the girl is wrapped around her mother’s left leg, peeking out at Stacie. 

“I don’t know what’s gotten into her,” Karen says with exasperation. “It was so nice to see you again, Diane.” 

“Same to you, Karen. Give me a call next time you’re in town again.”  

“Say goodbye, Stacie,” Karen says to her daughter, who is petulantly looking at the selection of bags of flour they’re standing next to. 

“Bye,” the girl says, pointedly looking at the selection of flour. 

“Say goodbye, Aubrey,” Diane says to Aubrey with mirth in her eyes. 

“Bye,” the girl mumbles into Diane’s thigh. 

The two women laugh and bid each other farewell and go their separate ways. 

 

8.

 

Camp Chief Ouray hosts an inter-house soccer competition for that summer’s campers. Aubrey plays goalie for the blue team. Stacie plays striker for the red team. They don’t recognise each other until about 3 seconds before Stacie kicks a soccer ball straight into Aubrey’s face to score a goal.  

Stacie is sent to the camp counsellor while Aubrey is sent to the medical cabin. Stacie tells the camp counsellor it was an honest mistake (it’s not; she could have easily made the goal without the ball hitting Aubrey) and that it won’t happen again (it probably will).  

The camp counsellor makes her go apologise to the goalie before she goes back to camp activities, so she trudges her way down to the medical cabin where Aubrey is sitting on a bed, her whole face red and her nose bleeding.  

“Sorry,” Stacie says with a shrug, and she doesn’t remember Aubrey much, only remembers meeting the girl years ago and not liking the experience one bit.  

“Thanks,” Aubrey says dryly. She hadn’t recognised the girl until a soccer ball was heading straight to her face and she doesn’t really remember meeting the girl, just remembers extremely disliking the girl, an emotion that’s now strengthened.  

Three days later, when practising archery, Aubrey ‘accidentally’ shoots an arrow with a piece of gum attached to the tip straight into Stacie’s long brown hair.  

 

10.

 

It’s their third year at camp, and after having successfully avoided each other in year 1 ( _after_  the soccer and archery fiasco) and year 2 (disregarding a _mild_ food fight incident), they’re paired up as kayak partners.  

Aubrey was supposed to kayak with her friend Bridget, but Bridget had gone and partnered up with Tony, so Aubrey is left with the latecomer: Stacie.  

They quickly realise that not communicating — or, communicating with monosyllabic words — isn’t conducive to successfully navigating the lake.  

“Truce?”  

“Sure.” 

Three minutes of silence later, Tony sneaks up on them and tips them over. He’s sneaky enough that he gets away unnoticed, and when Aubrey and Stacie resurface, they’re yelling at each other.  

“What did you do that for?!”  

“Me?! You tipped us over!”  

“Don’t be stupid, Stacie! Why would I tip us over?!”  

“You’re stupid!”  

“You suck!”  

“You’re bad at archery!”  

Those words seem to insult Aubrey the most, so she clambers onto the kayak with a viciously strong kick to Stacie’s legs. Stacie hangs onto the kayak but makes no effort to climb onto it. 

Their yelling seems to have attracted the attention of the camp counsellors, who promptly keep them apart for the rest of the summer.  

 

13.

 

She’s a junior camp counsellor now, with a polo shirt with her name on it and a group of 6-year-old girls to watch over. She doesn’t know if Aubrey had been planning on coming back to camp, but it was their _thing_.  

When they were 10 they had an unsuccessful kayak excursion.  

When they were 11, the camp introduced paintball as a new activity and Stacie and Aubrey would sign up in competing teams every chance they got to be able to shoot at each other.  

When they were 12, Stacie showed up to camp in a training bra and Aubrey had a terrible haircut, and after ‘gentle’ suggestions from her cabin mates, Stacie had given Aubrey terrible bangs to match her haircut while she’d slept, and as a retaliation, Aubrey had stolen all of Stacie’s bras and hoisted them up the flagpole for her to find in the morning.  

Stacie keeps an eye out for her, but after a week of no Aubrey sighting, she gives up and asks one of the camp counsellors about her.  

“She’s not coming anymore,” the counsellor says sadly. “Her mom died in January and she moved away with her dad.”  

Stacie’s from Philadelphia and Aubrey’s from Charleston, so she gives up hope of ever seeing Aubrey again.  

 

19.

 

“Hey, what the hell?!” Aubrey exclaims, fire flashing in her eyes as she turns to give the stranger her full wrath.  

Stacie is as surprised to see Aubrey as Aubrey is to see her, and she squints her eyes to confirm that it really is Aubrey.  

Aubrey looks over her and thinks that puberty has done them both well, Stacie having grown even taller and even more attractive.  

“Aubrey?” Stacie asks in wonder, eyes trailing down the long legs exposed by her short shorts.  

“You spilled beer on me, you _asshole_ ,” she says strongly, but Stacie can see the amusement sparkling in Aubrey’s stormy green eyes.  

“I’m sorry, I’m just trying to make up for the lost years at camp,” Stacie flirts, winks.  

“Aubrey, who’s your friend?” Chloe asks with a giggle, pressing herself against Aubrey’s side and letting her gaze run down Stacie’s body.  

“Hi, I’m Stacie,” she says with a wide smile, sticks out her hand.  

Chloe looks at her hand for a second too long, turns to Aubrey with a questioning gaze and a laugh falls from her lips.  

“I’m Chloe.” Then she turns to Aubrey and whispers, “polite and hot? Where did you find _her_?”  

“We met at camp,” Aubrey elaborates and Stacie frowns.  

“Technically, we met before that.”  

Aubrey rolls her eyes. “Whatever. It was nice to see you, Stacie. Try not to spill beer on too many people.”  

“Only the ones I find super hot,” Stacie says with a lascivious wink and Chloe swoons next to Aubrey.  

Aubrey laughs shortly and gently pushes Stacie out of her way as she drags her redhead friend with her.  

They run into each other one more time that spring break. It’s at a beach party, and Aubrey takes a knocker shot from between Stacie’s boobs and afterwards Stacie does a body shot off Aubrey’s stomach. Pulling a slice of lemon from between Aubrey’s teeth with her own doesn’t technically count as a kiss, but Aubrey’s eyes darken and Stacie can’t stop staring at her lips.  

 

23.

 

Her hand shoots out to stop the doors closing when she hears the voice call out, and she’s physically holding the door open while pressing the ‘open door’ button and she’s so distracted that it takes her a while to realise that the blonde stepping into the elevator is Aubrey Posen.  

Aubrey is surprised to see her, doesn’t mask the emotion quickly enough so Stacie catches it and smiles.  

“Stacie Conrad,” Aubrey says with an arched eyebrow as she leans forward to hit the button for her floor. “Will the universe ever give me a break?”  

“Was that a joke? I didn’t know you knew what those were,” Stacie snaps back but her smile is lazy as she meets Aubrey’s eyes.  

Aubrey rolls her eyes but her smile doesn’t budge.  

“What brings you to my building?” Aubrey asks.  

“Last I checked, your name wasn’t on the building,” Stacie says and Aubrey rolls her eyes again. Stacie takes the opportunity to rake her gaze down Aubrey’s body, taking in the fancy work dress and heels. “You work here?”  

“Internship. You?”  

“They pay for my grad school,” Stacie explains, holds up a folder and Aubrey glances at it, mouth quirking.  

“That grant is only for really smart people. How did you trick them?” 

Stacie can’t help but smile, has to force herself to smirk to hide how much she’s enjoying their banter. She steps closer and doesn’t miss the way Aubrey’s eyes drop to her cleavage. “I have my ways.”  

The elevator dings and they spring apart, Aubrey glancing sideways to make sure there isn’t anybody waiting for the elevator that might have seen them.  

“I’ll see you around, Conrad,” Aubrey says as she steps out, and Stacie can’t help but pointedly trail her eyes down Aubrey’s body. 

“Bye, Aubrey,” she says with an exaggerated wink just as the doors are closing.  

 

25.

 

“Well well well…” Stacie drawls when she catches sight of the blonde. “If it isn’t Aubrey Posen.”  

“I’m starting to think you’re stalking me,” Aubrey says with a smile, turns to Stacie and doesn’t even try to hide the way she’s checking her out.  

“It’s a wedding, I have an invite,” Stacie defends teasingly, keeps her gaze focused on Aubrey, waits for the blonde to look back up at her.  

“Hmm,” Aubrey hums in disbelief. She gestures to the chairs on both sides of the aisle and says, “Which side?”  

“Left,” Stacie says. “I went to college with Ashley. You?”  

“Right. I work with Jessica,” Aubrey explains.  

“Opposite sides once again,” Stacie comments with a deep sigh, shaking her head in faux disappointment.  

“So it seems,” Aubrey gives with a pseudo tortured look.  

“I guess I’ll see you at the party then,” Stacie teases.  

“You’re not going to walk me down the aisle?” Aubrey teases, a coy smile on her face as she leans in closer.  

Stacie can’t help but break character and grin, looks down at Aubrey’s alluring lips, gaze drifting further down to stare at the low cut of Aubrey’s dress.  

“Why not?” Stacie gives, holds out her arm and Aubrey slides her hand into Stacie’s arm, fingers curling around her bicep as she leans in close. Stacie leads them down the aisle and stops when they reach the front, turns to Aubrey.  

“Save me a dance later?” Aubrey asks, slowly pulling her hand back but not before trailing the pads of her fingers along the inside of Stacie’s arm.  

“Promise,” Stacie says, brushes her hand down Aubrey’s back and stops a little lower than is considered decent.  

They don’t end up dancing at the reception but they do make out for almost an hour in a secluded corner away from prying eyes and when it’s time to say goodbye, Aubrey licks her lips and says “It was nice to see you again,” and Stacie says “Always a pleasure,” and they go their separate ways. 

 

27.

 

She sees the flash of blonde and at first, she thinks she’s having a hallucination because it _can’t_ be possible. They’ve been running into each other for over twenty years but even this is a little too wild.  

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Conrad.”  

Stacie smiles, knows immediately that it’s her and she turns to the voice.  

“Aubrey Posen, back at camp after all these years?” she throws back and Aubrey smiles when their gazes lock.  

“Drop off,” she says.  

“Pick up,” Stacie says. “Kids?”  

Aubrey smiles coyly, twirls her car keys around her index finger as she shakes her head. “Three nephews and a niece.”  

Stacie’s eyebrows shoot up.  

“You? Kids?” Aubrey asks, echoing Stacie’s earlier question and the brunette grins, shakes her head.  

“Baby sister.” Her eyes flicker over Aubrey’s shoulder as her smile softens. “Speaking of…”  

A tall teenage girl runs up to Stacie, slightly breathless as she drops a duffel bag by their feet.   

“Stacie…?” she starts in a tone that Stacie is all too familiar with.  

“Allie?”  

“The boys woke us up with an air horn this morning so we want to throw water balloons at them as they’re getting picked up,” she explains quickly and Stacie smiles, shakes her head in exasperation.  

“Go. Text me when you’re finished,” Stacie says dryly.  

“Thank you thank you thank you, Stace! You’re the best! It won’t take long I promise!”  

The teenager quickly hugs Stacie before running off and Stacie exchanges a quick, amused glance with Aubrey.  

“Allie?” Aubrey calls out suddenly and the fifteen-year-old stops at the sound of her name, frowns when she realises it’s not Stacie who called out to her. “Put ice cubes in the water balloons.”  

The girl grins widely with pure excitement. “I don’t know who you are, but thank you _so much_!”  

Stacie chuckles when Allie runs away again before turning and shaking her head at Aubrey. “What have you done?”  

“We may not have gotten along at camp but I refuse to let the _boys_ win this skirmish,” Aubrey says strongly and then Stacie really laughs.  

“Where are your niece and nephews?” Stacie asks, reaching down to grab Allie’s duffel and sling the strap over her shoulder.  

“Off to enjoy their summer. I was just about to leave.” Even as she’s saying the words, Stacie notices that she doesn’t move away, just twirls her car keys around her index finger while carefully watching Stacie.  

“I’ve got some time to kill,” Stacie says, shrugs her free shoulder.  

“My car has tinted windows.”  

Stacie's hand is down Aubrey’s jeans and Aubrey is unhooking Stacie’s bra when there’s suddenly a loud buzzing sound and Stacie gets distracted and moans softly into Aubrey’s mouth when her hands slide down to Stacie's ass, until she pulls the buzzing phone out from her jeans pocket and shows the brunette the screen. 

“Shit,” Stacie says. “I gotta go.”  

“Shame,” Aubrey says and Stacie pauses before pulling on her shirt.  

“Give me your phone,” she says and Aubrey frowns but Stacie shoots her a look so she squirms under Stacie and pulls her phone out of her own back pocket, unlocks it and hands it over.  

Stacie quickly types her number and hits call, waits until her own phone rings so she has Aubrey’s number before rejecting the call.  

She crawls out of Aubrey’s lap and opens the car door, stepping outside as she grabs Allie’s duffel bag.  

Just before she closes the door she leans in and Aubrey gladly moves closer as they exchange a lingering, heated kiss.  

“Call me sometime,” Stacie says and Aubrey smiles in response.  

 

27, _continued. _

 

“Hi,” Aubrey says with a soft smile when she opens the front door and Stacie’s smile is frozen on her face as she takes in Aubrey.  

“Wow,” Stacie says, eyes snapping up to meet Aubrey’s when the blonde chuckles awkwardly. “Hi.”  

Aubrey shakes her head to snap herself out of her daze at the sight of Stacie. “Come in.”  

She steps aside to let Stacie in, and the brunette turns to look at her before Aubrey can see what she’s hiding behind her back.  

“So, uhm, we’ve known each other for almost 24 years,” Stacie starts, waits until Aubrey has closed the door and is standing in front of her, curious look on her face. “And I actually barely know anything about you.”  

Aubrey’s eyebrows knit together as she realises that Stacie’s right, as she tries to think of something she knows about Stacie.  

“So I don’t know what type of flowers you like,” Stacie says, taking advantage of Aubrey’s averted gaze to reveal she’d been hiding a bouquet of flowers and Aubrey’s cheeks flush an adorable pink when she looks at the arrangement. “You might even be allergic to flowers.”  

“I’m not,” Aubrey says with a wide smile, still staring at the flowers.  

“Well then,” Stacie says and her movements are choppy when her arm shoots out to hand Aubrey the flowers and she has to clear her throat. “These are for you.”  

“Thank you, I love them,” Aubrey says as she takes the flowers from Stacie, motions with her head for Stacie to follow her to the kitchen.  

Aubrey’s filling a vase with water for the flowers and Stacie looks around the space, taking it all in.  

“I’m really happy we’re doing this,” Aubrey says, the exact moment Stacie says: “You have a really nice place.”  

“Oh, I’m sorry—”  

“No, you go a—”   

They exchange an awkward chuckle as they look at each other.  

“Why am I so nervous?” Stacie mutters under her breath, trying to pep talk herself and Aubrey breathes out with a laugh.  

“Why is this so weird?” Aubrey asks and Stacie shakes her head.  

“I don’t know,” Stacie says with another awkward chuckle.  

“Would you like some wine?”  

“Yes!” Stacie says and Aubrey smiles widely at her.  

A few minutes later Aubrey hands her a glass of wine and when their fingers brush against each other, Stacie can’t help but smile.  

“Do you think it’ll help the awkwardness if we have sex first?” she says, purely out of instinct before closing her eyes in shame. “Jesus christ, Stacie,” she whispers to herself but her eyes snap open when Aubrey laughs loudly.  

The blonde has a hand over her mouth as her shoulders shake while she laughs and Stacie can’t help but light up at the sight, at how amused Aubrey seems by her.  

“It wasn’t _that_ funny,” Stacie says, tries to hide her grin as she ducks her head and shifts her feet.  

“I was thinking the same thing,” Aubrey says, clueing her in on the joke and then Stacie really has to laugh.  

“So?” Stacie asks once they’ve calmed down a bit.  

“We probably shouldn’t,” Aubrey says, but she’s staring at Stacie’s lips as she says it so the words don’t carry much weight.  

“You’re probably right,” Stacie says, reaching for her wine glass to take a sip, hiding her coy smile.  

“I wouldn’t say no to a kiss, though,” Aubrey flirts, mouth quirked and Stacie feels a flash of excitement.  

Stacie sets down her wine glass on a table nearby before holding out her hand and Aubrey takes it, lets Stacie pull her closer until their bodies are pressed together.  

“I’m really happy we’re doing this,” Aubrey whispers, hand falling to Stacie’s waist.  

“So am I,” Stacie says, reaching up to cradle the back of Aubrey’s neck, tilt her head up.  

Aubrey bites her lip and moves closer, pausing just before her lips brush against Stacie’s, watching the brunette carefully but Stacie’s impatient and she moves forwards, captures Aubrey’s lips in a slow kiss. Aubrey moans softly and Stacie deepens the kiss, smiles when Aubrey wraps her arm around her waist and pulls her closer.  

“Did you make a reservation?” Aubrey gasps between kisses.  

“No.”  

Aubrey pulls away, eyebrow arched.  

“I called and they said it wouldn’t be busy so a reservation wasn’t necessary,” Stacie says pointedly before licking her lips and Aubrey’s gaze drops to them as she mirrors the action.  

“How hungry are you?”  

“Not,” Stacie says lowly, hands drifting down to Aubrey’s hips to hold her in place while she steps closer again. “You have a lovely home.”  

“Would you like a tour?” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> leave me comments bc they make me happy!~


End file.
